Blood Red
by Lynnlee22
Summary: Philly-centric This is a bit of a dark What If..on the Scott/Phyllis dynamic.
1. Chapter 1

She pushed the door closed behind her, finally allowing the tears to escape. Her legs shook beneath her, finally giving way to the tremors as she slid down the cool wood of the door. Phyllis closed her eyes tight as she wrapped her arms around herself. The ride home was a blur, as if she'd been watching from a distance as someone else went through the motions of her life.

Even now, even as she sat here, a part of her felt numb. Another part felt everything in excruciating detail. The smell of scotch and him seemed overwhelming, making the air around her thick and suffocating. Her chest ached as she tried to force herself to breathe. Her shaky hands clawed at her jacket, peeling it off and tossing it over to the side. One look at her ripped dress and the waves of nausea came back. It wasn't just the thought of what happened tonight, but what could have….

* * *

 _She held onto the couch arm for support as she stood up, smiling at him across the room. It felt good to relax, to let loose, to not worry about work or anything—to just have fun. It had been too damn long._

 _"Another?" Scott flashed a charming smile at her as he filled her glass with scotch again without waiting for a reply._

 _"You know…if I didn't know better, I'd think you were trying to get me drunk." Her words were already slightly slurred as she spoke and she stumbled a bit as she took a step towards him._

 _His arms wrapped around her small waist quickly and he pulled her closer to him—though his body wasn't much steadier than her own. "You okay there?" he whispered, smiling at her._

 _"Yeah," she sighed, enjoying the feel of his hands on her. She let her hands run across his chest, allowing her eyes to flutter closed, "I'm good."_

 _"How about some music? He reached across the desk, grabbing a small remote and pressing the power button. Smooth jazz rang out from the speakers and they both looked up in surprise. "Wouldn't have been my top pick," he sighed, "but not terrible."_

 _Phyllis giggled, beginning to feel the scotch's full effects. "Not at all," she slurred, feeling all the more unsteady on her feet. "Maybe we should sit," she mumbled, making her way over the sofa and easing herself down onto the couch cushions. She raised her hand to her head, the spinning in the room now becoming much worse. "I think I should something…I think some eat…" She swallowed hard._

 _His hand lightly stroked her face as he leaned in closer to her, "You're good," he whispered, his lips now brushing hers._

 _She turned her head, finding it hard to focus. "Scott." Her brain seemed stunted, slowly processing what was happening. In what seemed like an instant, he was on her, his hands pulling at the zipper on her dress and eventually ripping it across the front. "Scott, stop it, I can't..I don't.."_

 _Her arms felt heavy and limp as if each movement was an athletic endeavor and the idea of physically overtaking him seemed impossible. She could feel his hot breath on her, his hands everywhere, and she felt helpless to do anything except tell him, beg him to stop._

 _"Scott, please…No…I.." He was harsh and rushed, his hands and fingers rough as he gripped her face, arms and shoulders tight. She hissed in pain and winced at his touch._

 _"Oh my God!"_

 _"Kevin!" Scott sat up straight, his eyes darting back towards her before he stood and looked over towards his brother-in-law. "I…I didn't expect you…"_

 _Kevin turned away. "Obviously," he muttered. "I'm sorry…I can go."_

 _"No!" Her voice rang out. "No, please don't. I should go. I need to be going. There's somewhere I need to be." Phyllis stood quickly, her body trembling as she felt Scott's warm hands on her zipping up her dress. He handed her jacket, helping her put it on and pulling it over the noticeable rip before she turned to face Kevin._

 _"I can call you a car," Scott offered._

 _"I can call my own car," she said quietly._

 _"Are you sure?" He followed her to the door and reached for her as she quickly moved towards the elevator. "Phyllis? Is everything okay?"_

 _She stared back at him, her eyes stunned. "What?"_

 _"You just…you act like something's wrong and I just want to make sure everything's okay."_

 _Home. She wanted to go home. "I have to go," she said silently before stepping into the elevator and allowing the door to close._

* * *

All the way home she'd gone over and over the events in her head. She'd said no. She'd said stop. He heard her. He had to. This wasn't what she wanted. Was it?

* * *

Her body still shook as she climbed out of the shower. She wrapped the towel around her as she stared into the mirror. Small red marks marked her collarbone and neck and she couldn't help but wonder if there'd be bruises there the following morning. How would she explain it? Would anyone even ask or would they just assume…because after all…that's what they would expect from someone like her.

She was Phyllis Summers and her reputation preceded her. He was Scott Grainger, reporter with a cause. Who would they believe? Hell, who would she believe?

* * *

"Look man, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have just dropped by like that." Kevin talked furiously, desperate to avoid the awkwardness of the situation. "I had no idea you'd have anyone here and I…" He stopped. "Wait. I mean—I didn't mean it like that…not like I couldn't imagine you'd ever have anyone here, because you're a good looking guy and it's perfectly reasonable to assume." He stopped again, shaking his head as he felt his cheeks grow hot. "And by good looking, I just mean in a way that would be attractive to women…that's all…"

"Kevin..Kevin.." Scott laughed as he handed him a glass of scotch. "Relax. It's fine. It's no big deal."

"I kind of feel like it is," he said quietly, as he took a seat on the sofa and waited for Scott to join him. "I mean she kind of left…"

Scott sighed before running his fingers through his hair. "Yeah, she did."

"And…if I hadn't walked in when I did…I kind of think you might have been…"

"Oh yeah…we were definitely going the distance tonight." Scott smiled as he brought the glass to his lips and emptied it with one quick gulp. He looked over at Kevin and grinned, "But don't worry—all hope is not lost. There will be other nights. Mark my words."


	2. Chapter 2

She pulled the throw tighter against her chest, fear momentarily paralyzing her. The night had seemed unbearably long and, after spending several restless hours upstairs tossing and turning in bed, she'd relented and headed down to the sofa. Since then she'd watched every hour pass.

Now, she sat staring at the door, terrified by what, until last night, would have been a simple knock at the door. But what if it was him? What if he was here?

Phyllis stood, her legs feeling weak as she forced herself towards the door. Her whole body shook as the sound of the knocking once again echoed through the room.

"Phyllis?"

Her eyes filled with tears almost instantly, relief flooding her body. She reached out, grabbing the doorknob and bracing herself, taking a deep breath before opening the door. "Billy," she breathed, "What are you doing here?"

He smiled, tilting his head a little, "I'm guessing I would have been waiting quite a while if I'd just waited for you to show up, huh?"

She stood silent for a moment, just staring at him. "I don't understand," she mumbled.

"Crimson Lights," he said with a smile, gesturing to the tray that held two coffee cups and balanced a paper bag. "You were supposed to meet me there this morning? Any of this ringing any bells?"

"Oh." The word was barely a whisper as it left her mouth and her eyes fluttered close for a moment. Everything that happened before last night seemed so long ago. She took another breath, pulling the robe tighter around herself, now more conscious of what Billy might notice and the questions he might ask. "I'm sorry, Billy. We'll plan for another day, okay?"

"No need," he grinned, "I brought Crimson Lights to you." He gestured to the paper tray. "I got your favorites." He stepped beside her and before she had a chance to protest he was walking into the room. "I'll just get this set up for us…" His voice trailed off as he looked around the room.

Phyllis bent down quickly, grabbing the jacket she'd discarded on the floor the night before and grabbing for the shoes that sat in the middle of the walkway. "Sorry," she said quickly, "I wasn't expecting company."

Billy shook his head, flashing a charming smile, "No worries." He walked towards the kitchen, opening the cabinet and grabbing a plate. "Not that I'm complaining or anything," He looked up at her as he arranged the brownies and cookies, "But aren't you going to work today?"

"I'm uh…I'm taking a personal day," she said quietly. "Just got to some things to take care of." She turned her back to him, afraid he'd take one look at her and see right through the façade. He'd always known her better than anyone else. Sometimes she'd swear he knew her better than she knew herself.

"Wow. I didn't know Fenmore's offered profit sharing."

Phyllis turned, her eyes widening as she saw the dress in his hand. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

Billy grinned at her, holding up the dress. "You just throwing clothes away now, huh? Making that kind of money?"

"No," she said quickly, walking over and taking the dress from his hands quickly, "it just…it's ruined. That dress is ruined and it can't be fixed." Her voice trembled as she stared down at it, the images of the night before flashing far too vividly in her mind.

"Hey. You okay?" He reached out, grabbing the dress that was still clasped tightly in her hand. His brow furrowed. "You're shaking.."

She let the dress fall immediately, shoving her hands into the pockets of her robe. "I'm fine," she said softly. "I really would just rather we do this another day, Billy. Today is just not a good day."

He sensed something now and she knew it. There was no way to stop it.

"Phyllis." He took a hesitant step towards her. "Listen, something isn't right here. I know you and I know when you're upset and you're obviously very upset about something. Just tell me what it is..maybe I can help."

"It's nothing." The feelings were back—the same ones from last night, the painful pressure in her chest, the waves of nausea, the thickness of the air that made it hard to breathe. She rushed towards the door, pulling it open. "I really think you should go, Billy." She looked up at him, her eyes shiny with tears. "Now."

Just a few more minutes, she silently assured herself as she watched him walk towards the door. More than anything she wanted to tell him. She needed to talk to someone and he was the one person she'd always been able to trust, but this…this was something she could tell no one. This was something she wasn't even sure Billy would understand. She raised her eyes to look at him as he stood in front of her.

"Please don't do this. I just want to help. I know something's wrong and I honestly just want to help you."

"You can't, Billy. Not this time."

He shook his head slowly, a heavy sigh escaping his lips. His mouth opened as if considered protesting again, but he stopped, choosing instead to lift his hand and cup the side of her neck. The feel of his hand on her skin was normally a comfort…

"Don't." She jerked, railing at his touch, as she felt tears leave her eyes.

"What?" His eyes were wide as he stared at her. "Phyllis? What did I do?"

He moved towards her again and she shrunk from him, watching in horror as his eyes studied her.

"Phyllis." He stopped only for a moment, and only long enough to ensure she was looking directly into his eyes. "What happened to your neck?"

"I…I don't…" She looked around the room, searching for an escape, a distraction, anything…

"Come," he said quietly, "Come over here and sit down."

Billy waited a moment as he allowed her to settle, his own heart pounding in his chest. There were so many nightmarish scenarios he could imagine in his mind to explain her behavior and his prayer was that none of them were true. He needed to know the answers to the questions, but he wasn't sure he wanted to. He reached out to take her hand, pausing for a moment. "This okay?"

He felt her small fingers wrap tight around his and smiled at her.

"I don't even know where to start," she said, her voice trembling.

"Wherever you want, whenever you're ready—I'll be right here."


	3. Chapter 3

She took a shaky breath as the last of the words left her lips. Had she told him the total, unvarnished truth? No, but still—it had felt good to have someone to talk to. One look at his face, and she could see that even the bits she told him were enough.

Billy stood up, pacing up and down the room across the length of the sofa.

"Billy," she said hesitantly, "It's really…it's not something I want to make a big deal out of. I really just want to forget it ever happened."

His eyes snapped to attention as he quickened his steps and returned back to the sofa, sitting back down beside her and taking her hands in his. "You can't do that Phyllis."

He shook his head. His eyes with glistening with what she knew were tears, but she wasn't certain if they were tears of pity or sadness for her or tears of rage towards Scott. Either way, it wasn't what she wanted. It wasn't even what she needed. She didn't want to have to talk about this anymore. She didn't want to even think about it anymore. All she needed was to tell someone…to have someone else know this truth..the fact that it happened. She needed someone else to hear the words so that she wasn't carrying this memory alone, but now—seeing the look on Billy's face, she wondered if she'd made a terrible mistake.

"Phyllis," he continued, "Scott can't get away with this. What he did…what he could have done."

"He was drunk, Billy. I mean really drunk…trashed really and if I'm being honest, I was pretty drunk myself. It was a bad call on both of our parts and…"

"Stop it."

The intensity of his words shocked her into silence. It was a rarity that he was harsh with her and the sound of it stunned her.

"I'm sorry," he said quickly, instantly softening his tone as he reached up and placed a hand on his shoulder, his fingertips lightly stroking her bruised flesh.

She watched as he looked away, not able to stand the sight of her hurt, especially now when he knew the cause.

"I just don't want you to think that you had any part in this. Do you hear me? Nothing you did..nothing you could have done could ever give him the right…"

"I know that, Billy. It's not even about that. I'm just saying he's not…I don't think it was some sort of calculated plan. I think we both had too much to drink and things got out of hand. After it happened, he didn't even realize he'd done anything wrong. I mean I talked to him and he acted like nothing even happened."

Billy's eyes widened in shock. "And what—that somehow makes this better? The fact that he's so completely out of touch that he doesn't even realize what he did was wrong? Phyllis, come on. You have to see that if Scott can't even recognize that he crossed a serious line here…"

Phyllis sighed heavily. "God! You know what—I don't want to talk about this anymore! I don't. Maybe I shouldn't have even told you about this." She turned away, her eyes burning with tears.

His hand touched her shoulder gently. "No. You're right. I'm sorry. I don't mean to push you. I just…." He stopped, nudging her back to face him. "Phyllis," he said softly, "I know you, right?"

"Yeah," she whispered, her eyes softening when she looked into his, "Yeah, you do."

"When I walked in here tonight, you were scared. I know you well enough to know that. Whatever Scott did, whatever his reasons were, whatever his intentions were, whether he meant to or not, he scared you and that's not okay." He raised his hand to her cheek, softly brushing away the tear that escaped her eye. "I want you to be honest with me," he said quietly. "What do you think would have happened if Kevin hadn't walked in that room?"

She sighed, her voice breaking a bit as she spoke. "I don't know, Billy. It's impossible to know something like that."

He looked at her for a long moment. "I don't think it's impossible at all and I think that's what has you so scared." He sighed. "Listen, I get that you want to forget this. I understand that you want to just put it in the past and forget it ever happened, but I care about you way too much to let that happen. You said Scott had been drinking and maybe you're right…maybe what happened did have everything to do with the drinking, but either way, Scott needs help. His drinking could lead to some incredibly destructive behavior. If he's using it to cope with issues he's dealing with he's going to end up hurting himself or someone else and I know you don't want that to happen."

"Of course not," she said softly.

"Lauren is your best friend," Billy continued, "Don't you think you owe it to her to tell her what's going on."

Phyllis brought her hands to her face. "My God, Billy. You want me to tell my best friend that her son did this to me? I can't do that. It'll kill her. It'll ruin our friendship. You can't ask me to do something like that."

"The way I see it you have two choices—you tell Lauren, or you tell the police, because I'm not going to let this go. I'm not going to sit back and let this happen and do nothing."

It was the look in his eyes that assured her he was serious. Billy wasn't one for making idle threats. "Alright," she breathed. "I'll talk to Lauren. I promise."

Billy nodded, smiling at her as he reached out his arms, pulling her closer to him as she leaned towards him. "It's going to be okay," he whispered.

She nodded, pulling back as she glanced at the clock on the wall. "Well," she whispered, "I've managed to completely ruin your entire morning. I'm sure you've got better things to do than be here trying to piece together my fragile mental psyche."

"Funny I can't think of one," he smiled. "Seriously, I'll stay as long as you like."

"No. I need some time to think. I need to think about what I'm going to say to Lauren and I'm sure you have work to do."

Billy stood, walking beside her as she walked him towards the door. "Listen," he said, turning and looking into her eyes, "If you need anything—even if it's just someone to talk to or a friendly voice, you call me…I'll be here day or night."

Phyllis nodded. "Thank you. I've always been able to count on you."

Billy leaned in, placing a soft kiss on her forehead. "That'll never change."

She leaned against the door as it closed and breathed in a shaky breath. Billy didn't need to know everything. She'd tell him she talked to Lauren when he asked and everything would be fine. She closed her eyes for a moment as she stood there. A shadow danced across the room and her eyes flew open, a burst of sun suddenly bathing the room in light. Phyllis walked over towards the window. It was a clear, cloudless day and yet it was almost as if something had been blocking the rays of the sun from shining in—until now.

She sighed, shaking her head and walking into the bathroom. It was time for her to get a shower and get her day started. No one needed this much time to think.


	4. Chapter 4

Phyllis pushed the door closed behind her. Her entire body trembled as she reached for the lock, double bolting the door and slowly walking into the kitchen. She scanned the room. Nothing seemed moved or out of place. Maybe she was being paranoid. Maybe this whole thing just had her on edge, but that didn't explain the shadows from the other night or the sound of footsteps that seemed to follow her everywhere she went.

Her eyes fell on the balcony doors. The full length curtains now stood halfway open though she was almost certain she'd not opened them this morning before leaving. She tried in vain to remember the events of the morning, to go back and recall if she could have opened them and forgot…was that possible?

"You're being ridiculous, Phyllis," she said out loud then headed over towards the sofa. All she needed was some time to relax. She'd find herself an old movie, pour herself a glass of wine and unwind. The knock at the door startled her and she found herself trembling again as she stood. Her fingers stilled on the lock as she took a breath, forcing herself to steady and praying her voice didn't sound as terrified as she felt.

"Who is it?" she managed.

"It's Billy."

For a moment, she thought her legs might give way from sheer relief and she quickly undid the locks and opened the door. She was in his arms in seconds, not even bothering to allow him to step into the room fully.

"Hey. Not that I'm complaining, but what's all this for?"

She pulled away, stepping beside him as he stepped into the room and closed the door behind them. "Sorry," she whispered, "I'm just glad to see you that's all. I just needed someone here with me tonight."

"Why?" The concern was immediately evident in his voice. "Did something happen?"

"No. Nothing. It's just me…I'm just on edge and shaky that's all. It's silly. I just feel better when you're here." She dropped her head, her eyes focusing on the floor. She hated this—feeling needy. "I know that sounds ridiculous."

"No it doesn't." His hands felt warm against her face and she leaned closer to him as he sat down on the couch next to her. "It doesn't sound ridiculous at all. It makes complete sense that you'd be on edge. What you went through would put anyone on edge, but you're okay now and I'm here. I'll be here whenever you need me. I told you that—all you have to do is call me." He felt her nod into his chest. "How did things go when you talked to Lauren?"

She drew in a breath. Lying to Billy was never something she'd planned to do, but he didn't understand the dynamics involved here. In his mind, he was protecting her at all costs and, while she appreciated the thought, he couldn't understand her need to protect her friendship. She simply couldn't go to Lauren with this…not with this. "It wasn't easy," she said simply, hoping he wouldn't belabor the point.

"I'm sure it wasn't," he said softly. "But it was necessary." She felt him shift to look into her eyes. "You know that right?"

She nodded, looking away, not able to handle the weight of his earnest gaze. "Can we talk about something else?"

"How about we talk about what has you so on edge tonight?" He heard her slight sigh. "I know you don't want to talk about it, but it might make you feel better, don't you think?"

Phyllis looked up at him. He was the one person she knew she could trust—the one person she would share something like this with. "You're going to think I'm completely crazy," she said.

He smiled slightly. "I already know you're crazy," he joked, "We both are…that's why it works."

"I feel like people are watching me." She saw the look in his eyes change and she instantly knew she needed to explain. "I don't mean like government spies or anything…it's just…like earlier I was at the market and I'd swear there was someone following me and then when I was walking through the park I just got this feeling that someone was watching me and…." Phyllis stopped talking as she saw the expression on his face. "Why are you smiling?"

"I just think it's interesting," he said quietly, allowing his hand to sweep against the side of her face.

"What's interesting?"

"Of course people watch you. Every time you walk into a room, heads turn—men practically get whiplash when you walk by. Don't tell me you're completely oblivious to the effect you have on people."

"Billy," she smiled, letting her head fall against his chest for a moment as her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, "that's not what I'm talking about. I don't mean watching me like that—I mean really watching me…like following me."

His face got more serious as he listened to her words. "Are you really worried about this?"

She sat for a moment, considering the question. "No," she said finally, "No. I'm not. I'm just being silly and ridiculous. This whole mess has just got me to the point where I'm questioning everything and I'm being overly suspicious of the most mundane things…that's all this is."

"You're sure? Because if you're not…if you really think something's going on here—you know you can tell me. I'll take care of this. I promise."

Phyllis smiled, leaning in and softly kissing his cheek. "I know you would, but really, I think the only place anything is really going on is in my seriously overactive imagination. Now," she sighed, "what I'd really like to do tonight is snuggle up here on this couch, have some wine, and watch a movie…preferably with you."

He wrapped his arms tighter around her. "That sounds like a plan."

* * *

Scott unzipped his jacket, throwing it across the back of the chair as he quickly flipped open his laptop. With expert precision, he loaded the drive and immediately began loading the feeds. Four different camera angles began to stream.

"Aww," he said, zooming in on Billy and Phyllis on the couch. "Isn't that sweet?" He flipped through the other feeds, smiling as he admired the views. "Perfect," he sighed, "If I do say so myself."


	5. Chapter 5

"Thank you," Billy said, smiling as he took the coffee cup from her hands. He watched her as she took a seat beside him on the sofa. "You sleep okay last night?"

Phyllis nodded, smiling gratefully as she glanced up at him before taking a small sip from her own coffee mug. "Much better with you out here." She paused before continuing. "Thank you for that, by the way, but you didn't have to stay out here on the sofa. You could have…."

Billy shook his head. "It was fine, really. Besides, we agreed that we were going to take things a little slower this go around, right?"

"Well, yeah we did, but for us that just means…." She giggled about at the sheer absurdity of it. "I'm not sure I can even envision our version of taking things slow."

"Don't get me wrong, I'd love nothing more than to…" He shook his head, refocusing. "Last night was perfect. We never got to do this kind of stuff before…sitting here with you, having a glass of wine, watching a movie, not having to worry about who knows we're here or what someone might have seen. Being able to just be here with you and hold you—that's enough for me. You've been through so much. I just want to help you through it. I just want to be here."

"You're gonna make me cry again," she whispered, leaning in closer to him.

"I don't want to make you cry," he said quietly, "Only if they're happy tears." He kissed her softly, pulling her into his arms and holding her close to him for a moment.

"Ok," she sighed. "As wonderful as this is, we both have jobs and I've got to finish getting ready for mine and, unless you're looking to model some women's fashion, I'm guessing you've got to head home to get ready for yours."

"You guess correctly…though I'm pretty sure this figure could rock a pencil skirt." He smiled broadly as he watched the bright smile spread across her face. "That's what I like to see," he sighed, "that beautiful smile."

"You're the only person in the world that could make me smile right now."

"Just doing my job. I'll see you back here tonight? I'll pick up dinner for us on the way over. Any special requests?"

She grinned. "Surprise me."

* * *

Phyllis leaned back against the seat of the car, her heart pounding as she heard the reassuring click of the door locks. She looked in the rearview mirror, half hoping to see someone there as if someone it might be better to truly be being followed than to be so paranoid for no reason. Yet again, the parking garage was empty save a few people heading to their own cars.

She sighed, steadying her trembling hands and gripping the steering wheel. She simply needed to relax, to clear her head, to get some fresh air and think. It was a beautiful day—the kind of day most people would enjoy outside, walking by the water. Her mind instantly flashed to Chancellor Park, to the small stream where she'd often walked, where parents took their small children to feed the ducks and play on days just like this. Phyllis breathed in deeply as she turned the key in the ignition. Tranquility was just a few minutes away.

* * *

She smiled as she watched a little boy throw a chunk of bread into the water and squeal delightedly as the duck quickly consumed it. His mother called him back towards her and flashed Phyllis a friendly smile. For the first time in days, she actually felt at ease. It was as if she didn't have a dark cloud hanging over her and she could truly enjoy the beautiful day.

"You know what I love about kids?"

Phyllis froze. Her muscles immediately tensing, her breath catching in her throat. She turned around slowly, almost expecting to see no one—and yet, there he was..standing right in front of her.

"Scott," she managed, her voice shaky and strained, "what are you doing here?"

"Oh," he sighed, a hint of amusement in his voice as he watched her obvious discomfort, "I followed you from the parking garage." He stepped in a little closer to her, lowering his voice as he did so. "You know that feeling you get when you feel like someone is watching you?"

Phyllis nodded, fear welling up inside of her.

Scott smiled, "It's usually because they are." He stood there a moment saying nothing then paused to kick a soccer ball back towards a group of kids playing off in the distance.

"Why are you doing this?" she managed. "Why are you following me?"

"Got to have something to do to keep me busy in this podunk town," he sighed with a shrug, "And I wanted to surprise you," he grinned, reaching out and touching her shoulder.

She jerked away. "So, you have been following me. I'm not crazy…I've felt like you've been watching me because you have."

"Maybe I have, maybe I haven't. Guess you'll never know."

"Scott, this has to stop. You can't keep doing this." Her entire body trembled now as she stared into his eyes. He seemed amused, pleasant, not at all remorseful or embarrassed. She was a hobby for him—fodder for his whims.

"No," he sighed. "It really doesn't, but for now, I'll leave you be. By the way, love the green top—really brings out your eyes." He flashed another smile before stepping away.

* * *

She wasn't sure how she made it to the empty bench or how long it had been since she sat down. She had no idea how she'd managed to get her phone in her hand or how she'd managed to get her hands to stop trembling long enough to pull up the contact info and phone Billy, but she had…somehow.

"Phyllis?"

His arms were around her and she simply held on.

He pulled back, trying to see her face, to ask her questions, to see if she was alright, but she held on tighter, her voice a mere whisper as she pleaded, "Please don't let me go."

Billy shook his head, shifting to sit beside her on the bench, his arms never leaving her. "I'm not gonna leave you," he whispered, his hands softly stroking her hair. He waited, never moving until she turned, looking up at him. Only then did he softly speak. "Let me take you home?"

* * *

Billy pulled her feet into his lap. "Well clearly Lauren wasn't able to get through to him. He needs more help than she can give. You're going to have to tell her and then you and I are gonna go down to the police."

"Billy…" Phyllis began.

"Phyllis," he sighed, "I know you didn't want to involve the police, but you tried talking to Lauren and clearly that isn't working, so we can't just sit back and let this happen. I won't. This is serious. This guy can't just…" He stopped. "What? What is it?"

She dropped her head, not able to look into his eyes. Billy had done everything he could to protect her. He'd been right by her side through all of this and yet the one thing he'd asked from her, his one and only request, she'd refused. Not only that, she'd lied to him about it. "I didn't tell Lauren," she sighed.

"What?"

"I didn't tell her." Her eyes stung with tears as she saw the hurt in his eyes. Anger would have been easier to take. "I'm sorry, Billy. I know you wanted me to tell her, but I didn't want to risk hurting my best friend over something that I really thought was probably just some out of control drinking."

She heard his deep sigh and felt his warm hand stroke her face.

"So you'll risk your own safety instead?" he said softly. "That's noble, Phyllis, but I'm gonna have to be selfish here. I can't let this one go….you can be mad as hell at me if you want. You can hate me."

"I could never hate you," she said quickly. "And you're right…I should have told Lauren before, but I definitely have to tell her now."

Billy shook his head. "I'll come with you if you want."

"No. This is something I need to do on my own, but maybe it can wait until morning….if that's okay?"

"I think that's okay," he smiled, "Provided you don't mind a house guest again. Until we get this all squared away you're going to have a shadow. I'm not gonna let you out of my sight and we'll get you some extra security at Jabot just to be on the safe side."

"Okay," she said softly.

He leaned back, his eyebrows shooting up. "Phyllis Summers? You're not going to argue with me? You're not going to claim that I'm smothering you—that I'm being overprotective? You are full of surprises, aren't you?"

"Surprises." Her voice was soft but serious, her eyes suddenly becoming fearful again.

"Hey." Billy touched her arm softly. "I was just joking around. What's the matter?"

"No. It's not you. In the park, earlier…Scott said that he had been following me because he wanted to surprise me…he knew I liked surprises."

"Okay." Billy nodded slowly, "That's kind of creepy, but I'm not following."

"This morning," she said, "When you were getting ready to leave—you asked what I wanted you to pick up for dinner."

Billy's eyes widened a bit, "You said surprise me."

She gasped, "And then, right before he walked away he told me the green blouse matched my eyes, but I was wearing a jacket—he couldn't see the blouse unless he'd…" She swallowed hard, her breath catching in her throat, her blood running cold.

"What?" Billy's voice was rushed and tense, "What is it?"

"The only time I wasn't wearing that jacket is when I was dressing here this morning." She stared at Billy, watching as the realization flashed in his eyes. "Scott hasn't just been following me around," she said softly. "He's been watching me here. He might be watching us right now."


	6. Chapter 6

Billy sat down beside her on the end of the bed. "Alright. I checked the room. Everything's in order. Windows are locked. No one else is in here. I talked to the security guys downstairs. No one comes up here without our expressed permission." He paused, looking at Phyllis' stressed face. "Hey," he said softly, his arm wrapping around her shoulders. "I know you're scared, but I promise you, this is going to be okay. Nothing is going to happen to you."

She drew in a shaky breath as she allowed her eyes to meet his. "He was watching me, Billy. Do have any idea how creepy that is? And I don't even know how."

"Shhhh." He pulled her in closer towards him. "I know. Just try not to think about it right now, okay? You're here with me tonight. You're safe. I'm not gonna let anything happen to you. You know that, right?" He pulled away a bit when she didn't respond. His hand brushed softly against her cheek. "Look at me," he gently commanded. "You know I'll make sure nothing happens to you, right?"

Phyllis nodded, "But," she began, "What if you can't…what if Scott…"

"No. Don't think like that. In fact, I don't want you thinking about him at all tonight. Tomorrow, we're going to ask Lauren to come over here and you're going to tell her everything you told me. That way she has the opportunity to talk to Scott and hopefully convince him to get some help. If he won't do it himself, we're going to go to the cops. It's that simple." Billy heard her sigh and he knew she was far from confident in his plans.

"I think right now what you really need is to try and get some rest. Why don't you go get changed and I'll get the couch pulled out."

* * *

Phyllis stepped into the room, surprised to see Billy had pulled the bed down for her.

"You all set?" he asked quietly.

She nodded as she carefully climbed onto the bed, the cool, crisp sheets actually somewhat soothing.

"You must be exhausted." Billy waited until she laid back against the pillows before gently pulling the covers up over her. Phyllis looked up at him. It was strange being in this position with him. Most of the time she hated being managed—hated feeling as if people were coddling her, but tonight it was nice to feel protected.

She looked up at him, her eyes shining with fresh tears, the emotions of the night getting the better of her. "If I haven't already thanked you," she began, her voice already beginning to fail her, "for everything.."

"You don't need to thank me for anything." He sat down beside her, his body warm against her legs. "There's nothing I wouldn't do for you. Don't you know that by now?"

She smiled. "I do, but this, all of this, you've been here and you didn't have to be. When we said we were going to see how things went between us this time, I hardly think you thought you'd be signing up to take care of a basketcase."

"You're far from a basket case," he sighed. His hand found hers almost out of habit. His body was drawn to hers, as if the act of touching her brought him as much comfort as it did her. "Besides, I've loved every minute I've been able to spend with you and that's the truth." He leaned in, pressing his lips against her forehead gently. "Now, you try and get some rest. I'll be right over here if you need me."

He stood, moving towards the sofa on the other side of the room.

"Billy." She saw him stop and turn to look at her, his eyes a bit wider than they had been moments ago. "Maybe you could sleep here tonight," she said softly, gesturing to the empty side of the bed next to her. I know it would make me feel better to know that you were here and…."

"Sure," he said, his own voice softer than normal. She could see the hesitancy in his movements as he gently lay down next to her. He stared up at the ceiling, his eyes uncertain, his body still and almost uneasy.

Slowly, she eased towards him, needing more than anything the comfort of his arms. He could say all the words in the world, but nothing had ever made her feel as safe as she had in the warmth of his arms. "Maybe if you could just…"

His eyes met hers and she knew he understood and in the simple gesture of an embrace, she felt safe once again.

* * *

"Maybe we should order some room service…at least some muffins or something. Do we even have coffee?" Phyllis paced around the room nervously.

"Sweetheart." Billy took her hands in his and stared into her eyes. "No amount of pastries or coffee are going to make this any easier for Lauren to hear. I know you hate this. I hate it too, but you can't keep this from her any longer. Scott is sick. He needs help. You're her friend and as her friend she would expect you to be honest with her. You've got to be honest with her." He stopped, reaching up to touch her face as he saw the tears already brimming in her eyes.

"I know. I know I do. It's just…God, Billy. She was so happy to have him back in her life. How am I supposed to break her heart like this? How am I supposed to tell her that the son she's been so excited to get to know has been doing something like this?"

Billy shook his head. "You tell her the truth. You tell her what you told me. You don't think Scott is a bad guy..you tell her you think some things happen that he's trying to cope with and he doesn't know how. He doesn't have the tools to do that and you think he needs some help. Hopefully she'll agree and he can get the help that he needs." His hands rested on her shoulders and he squeezed them slightly as he felt them rise and fall with a deep breath.

She jumped as she heard the knock on the door. "She's here," she whispered, trepidation already showing in her eyes.

He nodded. "You sure you don't want me in here with you when you tell her."

Phyllis shook her head. "No, I think I should tell her alone."

"Alright," he relented, "but I'll be in the other room if you need me."

She waited until Billy disappeared before opening the door. Lauren smiled brightly at her, pulling her into a quick hug. "I'm so glad you called me," she chirped. "We've both been so busy—it seems like it's been forever since we've had a minute to catch up."

Phyllis nodded, forcing a smile. "Yeah, it's been too long…way too long. Come in." She stepped aside, gesturing into the room. "We certainly have a lot to talk about."


	7. Chapter 7

"You sure you don't want to head downstairs." Lauren glanced down at her watch. "It's still early enough for breakfast. We can have some coffee maybe grab one of those fantastic croissants we share we'll split, but never do."

Phyllis forced a smile. "I…It's.." She stumbled over the words, finding it strange to be in this position with her. Lauren was one of the few people that she found it easy to confide in. In fact, the only people in the small group were Billy, Lauren, and Michael. She didn't have many friends, and the few she had were precious. That's what made this so damn hard. "I think it's best that we stay here," she said quietly. "I'd like to talk to you about something and I'm not sure it's something we really want to talk about in public."

Lauren's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Sounds kind of serious," she breathed, suddenly feeling a sense of dread overcome her, "You're okay, Phyllis, right?"

"Yeah..Yeah..I am…now."

"Now?" Lauren gently led her over to a chair across the room and sat down on the ottoman in front of it. "Sweetie, what's the matter? What happened?"

It was the sincerity of the question that broke her and she felt the tears before they ever began to fall from her eyes. "I don't know how to say this to you," she managed, her voice betraying her as she attempted to form the words.

"Say what?" Lauren stood, walking quickly across the room and grabbing a tissue from the box on the nightstand. She handed it to her, her hand resting supportively on her shoulder. "You're my best friend. You can tell me anything. You know that, right?"

She drew in a breath. Billy was right. She had to tell her—it was the only thing she could do. "It's about Scott," she said softly.

"Oh," Lauren breathed in relief and let out a slight laugh. "Honey, you don't have to worry another thing about that. Scott's already read me the riot act about trying to set him up with my friends."

Phyllis stared at her, her breath still stuck in her throat. "Scott told you what happened between us?"

"Well not the details really. He just basically forbade me from ever trying to fix him up with anyone ever again. Apparently that's not something moms are allowed to do once their children get of a certain age."

"Wait," the word came out quickly as she scrambled to her feet. She touched Lauren's shoulder to get her attention as she turned back to face her. "What did he say to you about that night? Exactly?"

Lauren's eyes widened. The strained sound in her friend's voice and her expression were key indicators that this wasn't some superfluous question. This wasn't a general wondering about how she was described. "Phyllis, what exactly was he supposed to tell me? Did something happen…something you think I need to know?"

Phyllis nodded, her hands beginning to tremble as she now led Lauren back to the chair she recently occupied. "Sit," she said quietly.

* * *

"Lauren?" The silence seemed to cause the air to thicken as she sat there. "Lauren, you haven't said anything." She watched as her face lifted slightly, her pained eyes finally rising up to meet hers.

"I guess I'm just waiting," she whispered.

"For what," Phyllis asked, confused.

"For you to tell me that this is all some kind of prank, or sick joke, or that this is some sort of strange experiment you're conducted—something anything other than the fact that my best friend is trying to convince me that my son would be capable of something so…." She stood, jerking away from her hand as she tried to stop her.

She closed her eyes as she heard her shaky breath.

"If this is true, why wait so long to tell me this?"

Phyllis walked around her, facing her, needing to look her in the eyes when she answered the questions she had every right to ask. "I know this is going to sound ridiculous, but I didn't want to believe it. I was hoping it was some fluke. We had both been drinking and I was hoping it was just a big misunderstanding…that it was a mistake."

Her head nodded furiously as she reached out towards her. "It was. I'm sure that's what it was. You just said you were both drinking. I'm sure you both said and did things that you normally wouldn't have done and he doesn't know you that well. He probably didn't understand your signals or the way you are and I'm sure he just got a little confused. That's all this was."

"That's not all it was, Lauren. He understood. I told him to stop. I told him no and he didn't. If Kevin hadn't walked in….." She saw the look in her eyes and she stopped, not wanting to say the words. It would be too much for Lauren. "And even if we don't know for sure what would have happened, I do know that he followed me in the park. I do know that he's been following me, stalking me, making me question myself…" She felt sick as she watched her friend crumble in front of her. "I know this isn't what you want to hear and I can only imagine how hard this is for you to believe, but I swear to you it's the truth."

"No," Lauren muttered, reaching up and wiping the tears from her face. "There's a perfectly reasonable explanation for this," she spat, "There has to be." Her eyes lit up. "Scott told me that the two of you agreed that it wasn't going to work." She shook her head again, her heart pounding in her chest as she waved her hands around. "That's it isn't it? You want to be with him and he turned you down? You're so used to snapping your fingers and having any man come running that when one turns you down you don't know how to handle it so you come up with this horrible story to save face."

Tears streamed down her face as the hurtful words echoed throughout the room. "No," she whispered. "Lauren, I'd never make something like this up."

"That's enough."

Phyllis turned towards his voice, simultaneously relieved and disturbed to see him standing there. "Billy," she said quietly. "You don't have to…"

Lauren waved her hand between the two of them. "Oh," she sighed, drawing in a deep breath as tears continued to pour down her face. "See, this makes sense now…it all makes so much more sense."

"Lauren, please…stop this." Phyllis took a step towards her, trying to calm her but she simply jerked away, her words now more angry and dripping with venom.

"The two of you back together, right? You couldn't let Billy here think you were considering getting together with someone else when you were supposed to be sitting home heartbroken over him, right? You didn't want him thinking you were some kind of slut or something….because that would be a huge stretch…."

"Alright…" Billy stepped between them, his eyes now glaring into Lauren's. "Listen, I know this is hard for you and whether you believe it or not, this is something she agonized over. She hated the thought of coming to you with this. She knew it would break your heart and the last thing she ever wanted to do was to hurt you, but I'm not going to stand here and let you treat her like this. You can sit down and talk to her and listen to what she has to say or you can go."

Lauren stood silent for a moment, before turning and heading towards the door.

Phyllis jumped as the sound of the door slamming echoed through the room. Her eyes filled with tears as she looked up at him, his arms wrapping around her before she had time to utter a single word.

"It's okay," he whispered. "It's going to be okay."


	8. Chapter 8

His arm wrapped around her shoulder as she leaned against him, the tension in her body still prevalent. "Why don't you let me get you some tea? It'll help you relax."

She shook her head. "No it won't. Nothing is going to help me relax. My best friend hates me and there's nothing I can do to fix that."

"Lauren doesn't hate you. She just needs some time to process what you told her. It's a lot for her to take in right now, but you said it yourself. She's your best friend and when she has some time, she'll realize that you would never make up something like this."

"What if she doesn't?" Lauren had been there for her at a time when she needed someone the most. She'd given her a job and the ability to regain her self respect. When Jack was determined to undermine her personally and professionally, Lauren had given her a chance to prove herself again. Now she had repaid her saying horrible things about her son – no matter how true they may have been.

Billy pulled her closer to him, thankful as he felt her head fall against his chest. "Even if she doesn't believe you … Even if she never believes you, you did the right thing. Lauren needs to know what happened between you and Scott. He's her son and he needs help. If he doesn't get that help, something even worse is going to happen and then no one will be able to help Scott."

* * *

Michael jumped at the sound of the door slamming. His eyes followed Lauren warily as she blew into the room, throwing her bag on the sofa and moving towards the wine that sat on the credenza.

"You know what," she hissed, "this isn't even almost strong enough." She slammed the wine bottle back onto the mahogany wood and reached for the decanter of scotch.

"I'm not even sure I should ask," Michael said hesitantly.

"You won't believe it. You seriously won't believe what just happened. I've been turning it over and over again in my mind the whole way back over here and I still can't believe it happened. I'd swear this was some kind of nightmare if I didn't know better."

"What happened?" It wasn't like Lauren to get this angry. In fact, it had been quite some time since he'd seen her this worked up over anything. "Or better yet, who happened?"

"Phyllis," she spat.

"Something with work? You usually don't bring work home like this?"

"It's not about work." She held the glass of scotch in her hand as she moved over to the sofa and took a seat beside him. The anger was beginning to morph into a deeper feeling, a betrayal that her friend would make such a horrific accusation, especially one she was so certain was a complete fabrication. She shook her head as the words continued to echo through her mind. It was still almost impossible to even fathom the thought. What she'd said about her son was so impossible. Scott was a journalist. He had more integrity than anyone she'd ever met. He'd dedicated his life to telling the stories of people who weren't in the position to make their own struggles known. He'd comprised his own safety to do so, and now this? Now Phyllis of all people planned to lodge this kind of accusation at him? No. She wouldn't allow it.

"Well, if it's not work then …"

"It's about Scott." She could see the confusion on Michael's face.

"I thought you said Phyllis was …"

"It's about Scott and Phyllis. The other night while you and I were out, Phyllis came by here to see me and apparently Scott was here. The two of them ordered a pizza and got to talking or something like that I guess …"

Michael leaned back a bit. "You're not …" He couldn't imagine that pairing. "They didn't …"

"No." She could feel her blood pressure rising. "And that's just it, Phyllis claims that when she shut Scott down he tried to …" The simple idea of what she suggested made her stomach turn and she had to swallow to combat the bile that threated to rise up in her throat. "She says Scott tried to force himself on her."

"Scott?"

"I know. That was my reaction. My son. My Scott. Doing something like that. I could never imagine such a thing. He would never do something like that and with Phyllis of all people. I've never known her to turn down a man in her life. I mean, she's my friend and everything, but we both know that she's not exactly known for her purity."

"Well, no, but do you think she'd tell you something like that if …"

Lauren blinked slowly. "Wait … Are you saying that you think there's something to what Phyllis said? You actually think Scott would have done something like that?" Her voice rose with each passing word and she could feel herself beginning to lose control of her emotions. She trusted her son to do the right thing, but more than that, she trusted Michael to always be on her side.

He held up his hand. "Look, I'm not saying that … I just …"

"Scott wouldn't even be going after Phyllis. He's out right now with a woman that's actually his age. What reason would he have for trying to sleep with Phyllis?" Lauren took another drink from the glass of scotch, hoping this sip would calm her frayed nerves.

Michael watched in silence as his wife continued to fume. He didn't know the answer to the questions she asked, but he did know he needed to talk to his friend.

* * *

"I really had a nice time tonight." Scott smiled as he walked the young woman up to her door. It wasn't exactly a lie. She was a perfectly nice woman and she was reasonably attractive. In another time, he would have been intrigued, maybe even interested, but he had no time for such distractions now. Cassie as a means to an end.

"I had a nice time too," she cooed. "You're a really good dancer." She walked in step with him as they reached the door to her apartment. "It's still early. Do you want to come in for a drink or some coffee?"

Scott smiled. He knew what such invitations entailed, but even this couldn't entice him tonight. There was something far more interesting to him just down the hallway. It was the entire reason Cassie had been asked on the date. Her neighbor had been the real draw, not her. "I can't tonight," he sighed, feigning disappointment. "I've got work to do on a big project I've been working on, but I'll call you."

She rewarded him with a bright smile as she stepped into the room. He leaned in to kiss her, a obligatory gesture and an appropriate thanks for the information she'd been able to provide him. A few well placed questions and he now had a good grasp of the building's security measures. "See you," he smiled as she closed the door.


	9. Chapter 9

"You know …" Billy reached across the table and touched her hand softly. "You're not any better at that than Johnny and Katie are."

She looked up, her eyes quizzical as she stared at him. "What?"

He sighed as he gestured to her plate. "You're not actually eating anything. You're just moving the food around on your plate." He smiled at her, trying to alleviate at least some of the tension that filled the room. "Come on," he whispered. "You've gotta eat something."

Phyllis let the fork slip from her hand as she looked up at him. "I'm sorry. I know you went through all this trouble. I'm just not really all that hungry."

"It wasn't any trouble. I just want you to eat something. You haven't really eaten anything all day and I hate seeing you like this. I know Lauren upset you, but you have to know that you did the right thing. You told her the truth and I truly believe that once she has some time to sit and think about what you said, she'll realize that. She was reacting out of shock and that's why she got so upset. She just needs time. That's all."

The words had barely left his lips as the soft knock on the door interrupted their conversation. He pointed towards the door. "I bet that's her now," he said quickly, bringing the linen napkin to his mouth and giving it a cursory wipe before walking towards the door. "I bet she got home, thought about it, and came back to apologize."

She watched as he moved towards the door. With everything in her, she hoped he was right. It had killed her to see the look on her best friend's face, but it had been even worse to have known she didn't believe her. She honestly thought she would lie to her when it was something this important.

Billy pulled open the door, his eyes widening in surprise. "Michael?"

Michael leaned back on his heels. It was clear by the look on his face that he hadn't been the person Billy had been expecting to see. "Hey Billy. I was hoping Phyllis would be here."

"Yeah, she is." He glanced back into the room, stepping out into the hallway after glancing over his shoulder quickly. He pulled the door before speaking again. "She is here, but I don't know if you …"

"I talked to Lauren," Michael said quickly, wanting to answer the question before wasting time. "I know what she and Phyllis talked about earlier and Lauren is furious. She can't believe that Phyllis would make those kind of accusations against Scott and …"

"Accusations?" The mere word hit him wrong. His eyes shone in anger as he glared at him. "These aren't accusations, Michael. It isn't like she woke up one morning and decided to accuse Scott of this for fun. You know her. You know how much she values her friendship with Lauren and more than that, you know Phyllis. She's not going to lie about something like this. That's now who she is. It's not the kind of person she is. Where do you get off coming here like this? I thought you were her friend. I thought …" His voice got louder and louder with each passing word.

"Hold on. Just hold on a minute." He held up his hand, backing up a bit. "I didn't say I came here because I didn't believe her, but you gotta give me a little bit of room here. Lauren is my wife and she's very upset. I promised her that I'd come here and that I'd talk to Phyllis and that's what I came here to do. I didn't come here to suggest that Phyllis wasn't telling the truth and I certainly didn't come here to upset you or Phyllis. I came here to try and make things better. That's it."

"I'm not gonna let you go in there and make it sound like she made this up. I'm not gonna let you suggest that she exaggerated it or that she misunderstood. You are not gonna do that to her. Do you understand me?"

Michael nodded. "I'd never do that … especially not to Phyllis. She's my friend. I care way too much about her to risk our friendship over something like this, but I care about my wife too and it's my responsibility to try to keep both of them safe here."

Billy thought for a moment before relenting a bit. "One question first …"

Michael waited.

"What if that's not possible? What if Phyllis' truth means Lauren gets hurt?" He heard Michael's deep sigh as he stepped aside.

"We'll just have to deal with that," Michael said quietly. "Right now, I need to talk to my friend."

Phyllis looked up, surprised to see Michael strolling in beside Billy. "Michael? What are you doing here?" As soon as the words left her lips, she knew the answer. Her eyes closed quickly, her body suddenly feeling weak beneath as she searched the room for a seat. She lowered her body onto the ottoman as she looked over at him. "Lauren wants you to come figure out why I'm lying, right?"

"It's not like that. Lauren didn't even really want me to come."

"Because she doesn't want you associating with liars like me?"

"Phyllis." Michael walked over and took a seat beside her, his hand resting on her arm in the gentle way it had so many times before. "You know she doesn't think that about you."

"You weren't here. You didn't see the way she looked at me." She could still see the look on Lauren's face as she'd said the words to her. "It was like she hated me. I never thought I'd see a look like that on her face when she was looking at me."

"She's just upset. You can understand that given what you were saying."

"I was telling the truth, Michael. I swear I was. I'm not trying to make things worse."

"That's why I'm here," Michael said calmly. "I told her that I needed to come here and talk to you. I told her that we were too good of friends for me to hear things second hand, that I needed to come here and talk to you and look you in the eye so that you could tell me what really happened. That's what I need you to do. I need you to tell me the truth and whatever that truth is, Phyllis, whatever happened – you tell me the truth and I'll believe you." He turned to look at Billy. "Can you give us some time, please?"

Billy hesitated. "I don't know if …"

"Billy." Phyllis stood up, walking over to him and gently taking his hands in hers. "It's okay. Michael and I have been through a lot together and I can talk to him. It'll be fine. Why don't you go and get some things from the apartment and I'll take care of this?" She could still see the worry in his eyes and she wrapped her arms around him, and pulled him close to her. "I'll be okay … I swear."

He nodded as he felt her body relax a bit in his embrace.

Billy nodded gesturing towards the door with his head. Michael stood and walked with him to the doorway.

"Go easy on her," he whispered, his voice gentle but stern. "She's been upset enough today."

"The last thing in the world I want to do is upset her," Michael remarked.

"Great," Billy said curtly as he stood in the doorway, "Then don't."


	10. Chapter 10

"Sorry about that." She stood as she waited for Michael to step back into the room. It was strange to feel so ill at ease with him, but then again, it had been far too long since she'd actually felt herself truly relax. "He's just worried about me after this morning and the way things went with Lauren, I think he just expected that you were probably here to chew me out and …" She stopped, noting the strange expression on her friend's face. "That's not why you're here, is it?"

"Of course not." His eyes softened as he looked at her. The look in her eyes was something he wasn't sure he'd ever seen before. There was a trepidation there that was so unlike Phyllis. The Phyllis he knew was full of life. She was fierce and combative at times. She was far from the person that stood in front of him, the woman that almost seemed to flinch when he made quick movements. "I just came here to try and get a better handle on what's actually going on. Lauren is so upset and I promised her that I'd come here and talk to you and that I'd get some answers."

She took a seat on the ottoman again. "I told Lauren the truth." Her voice shook slightly as she looked up at him again. "I didn't want to, but I told her the truth. I don't have any different answers for you if that's what you came here hoping to get."

"It's not that I don't believe you, Phyllis. I just need to understand this. Scott is her son. He lives in our home and if what you say …"

"If?" She felt the lump that had been threatening to cut off her air growing larger in her throat. "If?" She drew in another shaky breath. "I thought you said you believed me. I thought you said if I told you what happened that you would believe me."

"I do believe you, Phyllis. I just need to hear it from you. Lauren isn't rational right now and everything she's saying is colored by that anger and I don't know if I'm hearing the truth you gave her or the truth that's tainted by her shock and rage."

His words made some semblance of sense and she couldn't begrudge him for wanting to come to the source. Michael had always been a thorough attorney and as her friend, he'd always been fair to her. He'd always been there to stand up for her when she'd needed him. "I'll tell you whatever you want to know," she said quietly.

"Just start from the beginning. You came to the apartment."

Phyllis nodded. "I came there and Scott was alone. I knew Lauren was worried about him and she'd already asked me if I'd come by and spend some time with him. She'd mentioned wanting to set us up or something, so I really didn't think that much of it. I came in and he offered me something to drink." She thought back, the smell and taste of the scotch still fresh in her mind. "Scotch," she said succinctly. "It was scotch." She shook her head, trying to rid herself of that all too graphic memory. "He started off innocently enough. It was just a simple kiss and I was almost flattered. I mean I'm almost twice his age and …" She could feel the burn in her eyes and she forced herself to continue. She wasn't going to fall apart this time. She'd already done this before. "It was a kiss and then it was moving too fast and I told him to stop but he didn't."

She saw Michael look away, his eyes unable to stay fixed on hers as she continued the story.

"I said no, Michael. I told him no and he didn't. He ripped my dress and he held me down and if … if Kevin hadn't walked in when he did …" It was too difficult to say. She didn't even want to think about what could have happened.

"And you're sure." He hated even saying the words, afraid she'd take them as a condemnation of her accusations or as a sign of his disbelief and in reality, they were neither. He could see in it her eyes and hear it in the slight tremble in her voice. This was as real and true for Phyllis now as it had been the night it happened. There was no way she was exaggerating this. "You're sure he knew exactly what he was doing. This wasn't about him being too drunk or …"

"He was sober enough to know to stop when Kevin walked in. He was sober enough to know to pretend that everything had been fine up until that point. He was sober enough to pretend that I was crazy when I tried to get out of there as fast as humanly possibly." She shook her head, still remembering the way he'd looked at her as she'd stood by the elevator. It would have given anyone a complex. "And what's more, that's not where it stopped. He's been following me, watching me, stalking me and I can't feel like my life is mine anymore. I can't even feel safe in my own apartment. Billy feels like he has to go everywhere with me, like leaving me alone is somehow betraying my safety. He shouldn't have to do that," she managed, the catch in her voice now becoming more prominent. "He shouldn't have to watch after me like I'm some kind of toddler. He deserves to be able to live his own life."

"That's enough of that."

Her eyes moved towards the door quickly and she jumped to her feet at the sight of Billy entering the room. "If I get to spend lots of time with you …" He leaned down and kissed her forehead gently, "I'd call that living." He stood back up to his full height and looked back over at Michael. "Did the two of you get a chance to talk?"

Michel could sense the warning in his tone. His time was up. "Yeah. Yeah, we did. I get it." He reached out and gently touched her arm. "You know I believe you, right?"

The tears now welled up in her eyes as she heard his simple confession. She nodded as he stood up and moved to walk to walk towards the door. It came as no surprise to her that Billy followed him.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" Billy asked. "Outside?" He pulled the door closed behind them as he waited for Michel to step into the hallway. "I need you to do something for me? I need you to talk to Lauren and tell her everything that Phyllis told you and I need you to convince her that Scott is on a dangerous path here. As it stands right now, she hasn't pressed charges, but if he so much as looks in her direction again, I'll make it my personal mission to take him down without any consideration for who his family is."


	11. Chapter 11

Michael stepped into the crowded coffee shop. On a day like today, a bar would have probably been a better choice, but he needed to keep his thoughts clear. Billy's words echoed in his head. He couldn't fault him for what he'd said or even for how he felt. If someone had done to Lauren what had been to Phyllis, he wouldn't stop until there was some sort of justice. He could understand that impetus, the desire to protect the person you loved at all cost, everyone else be damned.

But there was something else too – something else he understood. He didn't like to go there, into that dark part of his mind, the part he'd sectioned off long ago, the part he never ever went near any longer. And still, even though he wished he didn't, he understood.

"Michael?"

He turned around, surprised to hear the familiar voice.

"You know, you lawyers all act like you spend your days in courtrooms and meetings, but I'm beginning to think all you really do is sit around in coffeehouses and restaurants. Where's the _client_ you're supposedly waiting on this time?" He emphasized the word as he grinned sarcastically.

"Actually, this time I really was just grabbing a cup of coffee." Michael studied him for a moment. He didn't look any different from the young man he'd welcomed into his home a few weeks ago, but he knew better. He knew, better than perhaps anyone else, that you wouldn't be able to tell about the dark parts of someone's soul just by looking at them. It was never the people you'd expect. "Why don't you join me? Unless you've got to rush off to somewhere?" Michael pointed to the empty table a few feet in front of them.

Scott considered it for a moment before nodding and joining him as he walked towards the table and took a seat. "No. I can spare a few minutes. Nobody's waiting on me."

"Oh." Michael fastened the plastic lid on his coffee before speaking again. "I thought maybe you were meeting someone here or something."

"Meeting someone?" Scott's eyebrows raised curiously. "No. Not today. Just me. Why?"

"No reason. It's just that your Mom mentioned that you had a date last night. I thought maybe it was still going on?" He forced a smile as he watched and waited for his response.

Scott laughed a bit as he took a drink from his own cup, seemingly oblivious to the real reason behind Michael's questions. "Oh her. No. She was nice and all but I don't think that's gonna go anywhere. The spark just wasn't there, you know?"

"Well, what about Phyllis?" He tried to keep his words as nonchalant as possible as if the thought had simply occurred to him just now in the midst of the conversation.

"Phyllis?" The change in his tone of voice was obvious. Sharper. Suddenly more engaged.

"Yeah." Michael took a drink to steady himself and forced his face to relax into a friendly smile. "Don't tell your Mom I told you this, but she got this idea in her head that the two of you would be good together, so I thought the other might maybe the two of you might have hit it off." He shrugged. "Stranger things have happened – not to me, but to other people."

Scott shifted in his chair. "Phyllis is a … we had a good time, but I don't know if … I guess we'll see …" He felt his face flush with adrenaline. "Anyway, I told Mom that I could handle my own love life."

"Yeah, I kind of figured you'd want to run shotgun on that one. For the record, I tried to run interference there, but you know your Mom."

"I do."

"If you want me to put in a good word with Phyllis though … I don't know how much Lauren has told you, but Phyllis and I go way back and …"

"Actually, that's okay. I think I can handle it and actually I need to get going. There's some things I need to take care of today."

Michael watched wordlessly as Scott walked from the shop. He sighed now more convinced than ever that something was very wrong. His cellphone felt very heavy in his hands.

"Hey." He waited a moment for the response. "Yeah. I know you're working, but do you think you could fit me in during your lunch break today? I really need to talk to you about something. Maybe we could meet at the Top of the Towers in about an hour?" He paused and nodded, actually feeling a genuine flash of amusement come over him at the response. "Yeah. Yeah. It'll be on me. I'll see you then."

He let the phone slide from his hand and gently rest on the table in front of him. There were so many questions that needed to be asked, but he wasn't sure he wanted to know all the answers.

* * *

"Mom." Scott stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. His eyes immediately moved towards his laptop, the breath leaving him in relief when he realized he'd closed the screen. "I thought you'd be at work."

"I decided to work from home today," she answered. That wasn't a lie. Working from home had been her intention, but ever since her conversation with Phyllis, all she'd been doing was replaying her friend's words in her head over and over again. The files and spreadsheets from the office might as well have been in another language. "What about you?" She forced the horrible thoughts from her mind as she looked at her son. "You didn't come home last night."

Scott took a few steps further into the room. "I didn't realize I was under some sort of curfew," he grinned.

"You're not of course," Lauren stood up and walked over to the bar to pour herself a glass of water. "I'm just curious. I'm your mother. I'm allowed to be curious, aren't I?"

"It's nothing all that exciting. I had that date that I told you about and we made a late night of it and then I just kind of drove around for a while, checked out some places that I hadn't had a chance to see since I've been back. That's all, nothing too exciting and then, before I knew it, the sun was coming up. I still haven't quite got my sleep schedule back on track I guess. When you're at the mercy of the news cycle, you sleep when you can."

She shrugged. "Yeah. I guess that makes sense." She paused for a moment. "So you said your date ended late. Does that mean it went well?"

"Mom …" He smiled warmly. "It went fine, but don't be making any plans or anything. I don't think we'll be having a second date if that's what you're asking."

"Oh, well. I'm sure you'll …" The sound of her cell phone ringing interrupted her thought. "Scott," she called out to him as she saw him heading towards his room. "Honey. Just wait a minute. I'd still like to talk to you if …" She sighed as he disappeared.

"Hi," she spoke into the phone, the name on the screen giving her a feeling of dread. "Where are you?"

"I'm at Crimson Lights right now," he answered.

"Did you go to the Club? Did you talk to Phyllis?"

Scott pressed his body against the wall, listening to every word. The Club, he thought to himself. That was why he'd seen no movement at the penthouse last night. He'd waited in the small stairwell for hours and yet there had been nothing. Now it all made sense. She wasn't there. But why? Did she honestly think she could shake him that easily? He shook his head as he walked towards his room. He'd have to prove her wrong yet again.

* * *

He pressed his lips against the apple of her cheek. "I want you to get that very worried look off of your face, okay? I talked to Michael. He's going to talk to Lauren and I'm sure he's going to be able to get through to her."

"You don't know that, Billy. You're talking about her son. I can't imagine what that would be like. If someone came to me and tried to say something like that about Daniel. I don't know that you would ever get me to believe that. What I'm asking her to entertain, even coming from me, it's …"

"It's the truth. You're not selling her some crazy theory, Phyllis. You're telling her the truth, and you're telling it to her because you care about her and because you know that she needs to know the truth about her son so that he can get some help before he ends up in a situation that he can't get out of."

She could see and hear the warning in his voice. "Billy," she whispered. "You promised. You promised that you wouldn't do anything."

"And I won't. I'll let you handle this with Lauren as long as it stops here, but if he so much as breathes in your direction again …"

She nodded. "Just please, Billy. Don't …just ..."

He pulled her close to him and squeezed her tight. "Don't worry about that right now, okay? I'm gonna jump in the shower if you think you'll be alright."

"Yeah. I'll be fine."

"You're right," he said softly, kissing her cheek again before standing up and looking into her eyes. "You will be just fine."


End file.
